BULLYING is rife within Farnham Hospital's Bentley Ward, it is claimed, forcing long-standing nurses to leave their once beloved jobs Recently, a student nurse became so disillusioned with the atmosphere on the ward, that she asked to be transferred to nearby Frimley Park Hospital. And patients are also being picked on, regularly being shouted at, and "not treated like human beings", it is alleged. The astonishing claims come from a nurse currently working at Farnham Hospital, who did not wish to be named. "There have been a lot of complaints," our source said, "and both nurses and student nurses are being bullied to the extent that agency and locum staff won't come back to the ward. "It's absolutely awful. Young nurses coming to Farnham Hospital to learn their trade shouldn't have to put up with being frightened." The nurse described some of the tactics employed by the bullies as "pathetic". "You get talked about behind your back and constantly told that you aren't doing the job properly. You get laughed at all the time and there's a lot of pointing. "It is pathetic things that would happen at school, and it shouldn't be happening on a ward. "And it's not just nurses - it's the way they talk to patients. They shout at them and don't treat them as human beings if they don't like them." The Herald reported a similar case in January 2006, with an investigation launched into a "senior nurse", who verbally bullied patients, staff and students. But after finding nothing - and information allegedly going missing - our source claims that morale on the ward is at rock bottom. "When I started here I got bullied and wanted to leave, but then you just have to learn to get on and ignore it. I won't leave because I won't be intimidated and there's a job to do. "I love the job and the patients and it is such a shame as it should be a lovely ward. The bullies are very much in a minority and the rest of the nurses are lovely to work with." But there is perhaps hope on the horizon that things on Bentley Ward could return to normal. "I understand that the student nurse has returned to her university and is putting in a formal complaint, so hopefully something will be done." Surrey PCT issued a statement to these claims, remarking: "We are really concerned to hear of the issues raised by a member of staff, which includes reference to an allegation of harassment. "Surrey PCT believes all staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and we regard any form of harassment, including bullying, as unacceptable behaviour. "The PCT would like to make it clear it takes this issue very seriously and we will act on any comments or complaints we receive in line with PCT policy. "Any form of bullying is unacceptable and we would strongly encourage this member of staff to follow the guidelines in the policy for raising concerns of this nature. "We want to be recognised as a good employer so if there are issues affecting staff we want to know about them. "That's why we're inviting every member of staff to take part in a national NHS staff survey to let us know how they feel about the PCT as an employer and what we can do to improve their working lives."